London 2012: The Summer Olympic Games

Janay DeLoach of Fort Collins earns bronze medal in Olympic long jump

Gold medalist Brittney Reese, right, celebrates with U.S. teammate and bronze medalist Janay DeLoach after the final for the women's long jump Wednesday at the Summer Games. (Michael Steele, Getty Images)

LONDON — It came down to one centimeter, less than half an inch. By that margin, first-time Olympian Janay DeLoach of Fort Collins became an Olympic medalist Wednesday night in the long jump.

"Words cannot describe how I feel right now," the former CSU athlete said after claiming bronze in an event won by teammate Brittney Reese. "I am on Cloud 9. I feel so good that I was able to barely get that bronze medal. But barely is a bronze medal."

Reese won with a leap of 23 feet, 4 ⅓ inches. Elena Sokolova of Russia took silver with a jump of 23-2 ⅓ . DeLoach went 22-7¼ a fingernail ahead of fourth-place finisher Ineta Radevica of Latvia.

DeLoach was sitting in fourth place with two jumps left, but as she readied for her fifth jump she wasn't thinking about medals. She was thinking about technique.

"My coach always tells me, 'You get on that runway, you have to push, you're not going to get anywhere if you don't push,' " DeLoach said. "That was all I could think about. As soon as I do that, I know the jump will be there. It's all technical. I have a plan, follow the rules - that's basically how it goes. We know if I get on the runway and I run well on the runway, the jump's going to be there."

That jump won her a medal. DeLoach was assured of the bronze when she lined up for her last jump hoping to improve to silver or gold, but she fouled.

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"That's when you're not thinking about the run, you're thinking about, 'Dang it, I want to do better than I am,' " DeLoach confessed. "It is what it is. I can't even complain."

DeLoach and Reese make an interesting pair. Reese is a four-time world champion, and DeLoach burst on the international scene over the past year, but they helped each other stay calm Wednesday night.

"Me and her are really close friends," DeLoach said. "I don't think we can go out there and compete against each other without chitchatting, because both of us are in that mind frame where we have to be relaxed. Being relaxed, chitchatting, having a joke here or there."

Reese has enjoyed watching DeLoach's quick rise.

"Janay's a great person," Reese said. "She's a great motivator also. We come out here and try to do it together. Me and her wanted to come in her and (make) a statement for Team USA. It's great to have her on the (medals) stand with me. We're sharing this together."